fibre

fibre — noun

1. one of the thin strands that plants, animals, or manufactured materials are made

1.名詞B1
釋義

one of the thin strands that plants, animals, or manufactured materials are made of, especially strands that can be twisted into cloth

例句

Christopher prefers shirts made from natural fibres like cotton or linen.

collocation: natural fibres

The bamboo stem contains strong fibres that workers use to make furniture.

同義詞
  • thread

    a very thin strand, often used for sewing; more specific than fibre

  • strand

    a single thin piece of something, often used for hair or wire

  • filament

    a very fine thread or fibre, used in technical or scientific contexts

文法句型

countable: a [type] fibre / [plural] fibres

uncountable: [material] fibre

用法筆記

This is the British English spelling; American English uses 'fiber'. For the uncountable sense (material type), do not place 'a' before it: 'cotton fibre' not 'a cotton fibre'.

常見錯誤

❌The shirt is made from a cotton fibre.
✅The shirt is made from cotton fibre.
💡When referring to the material in general, fibre is uncountable.

2. material made of many thin strands, usually in a loose or fluffy mass, that is r

2.名詞B1
釋義

material made of many thin strands, usually in a loose or fluffy mass, that is ready to be prepared into finished items like fabric, rope, or paper

例句

The factory imports raw fibre from several countries and spins it into yarn.

collocation: raw fibre

Once the fibre is cleaned and combed, machines twist it into strong thread.

同義詞
  • material

    more general; fibre emphasises the strand-like nature

  • yarn

    fibres that have already been twisted together; fibre is the pre-twist stage

文法句型

uncountable: [type] fibre

modifier: fibre [noun]

3. any of the slender, thread-shaped cells that form living tissue in the body, inc

3.名詞B2
釋義

any of the slender, thread-shaped cells that form living tissue in the body, including the ones inside muscles, nerves, and organs

例句

Muscle fibres contract when you lift something heavy, helping your arms move.

collocation: muscle fibres

Doctors examined the nerve fibres in Salma's hand to find the cause of the numbness.

collocation: nerve fibres

同義詞
  • cell

    the basic unit of living tissue; a fibre is a specific type of elongated cell

  • strand

    informal way to describe a fibre-like structure

文法句型

countable: [body part] fibre(s)

用法筆記

In medical contexts, 'fibre' in this sense is nearly always countable and often appears in the plural ('muscle fibres', 'nerve fibres'). Do not confuse with 'dietary fibre' (sense 5), which is uncountable.

4. an extremely thin strand of glass or plastic that uses light to carry data acros

4.名詞B2
釋義

an extremely thin strand of glass or plastic that uses light to carry data across long distances, forming the backbone of modern phone networks and digital television services

例句

Modern internet connections rely on thin glass fibres that carry light signals.

collocation: glass fibre

A single optical fibre can carry thousands of phone calls at the same time.

collocation: optical fibre

同義詞
  • fibre optic

    often used as an adjective referring to the technology

  • cable

    a bundle containing multiple fibres, not the individual strand

文法句型

countable: [number] fibre(s)

modifier: fibre [noun]

用法筆記

Often shortened to 'fibre' in compound terms: 'fibre optic', 'fibre cable', 'fibre broadband'. The phrase 'fibre optics' refers to the technology itself, not the individual strands.

常見錯誤

❌The internet uses fibre optical.
✅The internet uses optical fibre.
💡The adjective is 'optical', placed before 'fibre'.

5. a substance found in plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans, and wh

5.名詞B1
釋義

a substance found in plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains that is not broken down during digestion but helps move waste through the bowels and keeps the digestive system healthy

例句

Eating more fruit and vegetables is an easy way to increase your fibre intake.

collocation: fibre intake

Foods high in fibre help keep your digestive system working smoothly.

collocation: high in fibre

同義詞
  • roughage

    an older, informal term for dietary fibre, less common now

  • bulk

    refers to the physical volume fibre adds to digested food

文法句型

uncountable: [adjective] fibre

high/rich in fibre

source of fibre

用法筆記

Often paired with 'dietary' in formal or nutritional contexts, but 'fibre' alone is common in everyday speech ('eat more fibre'). This sense is always uncountable — do not say 'a fibre' when referring to dietary fibre.

常見錯誤

❌You should eat more fibres for better health.
✅You should eat more fibre for better health.
💡Dietary fibre is uncountable; it does not take a plural -s.

6. the inner strength to do what is right and honest, especially when facing pressu

6.名詞C1
釋義

the inner strength to do what is right and honest, especially when facing pressure, temptation, or difficult choices

例句

It takes moral fibre to admit you were wrong in front of a large group.

collocation: moral fibre

Asher showed real fibre by refusing the bribe even though he needed the money.

同義詞
反義詞

文法句型

uncountable: moral fibre

show/have/lack moral fibre

用法筆記

This sense is almost always used with 'moral' (moral fibre) or directly modified ('inner fibre', 'real fibre'). It is always uncountable and describes a person's character, not a physical substance.

常見錯誤

❌She has a strong fibre.
✅She has strong moral fibre.
💡The word 'moral' (or a similar modifier) is almost always needed in this sense.